Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 28

After Fu Yao’s troops entered within a quarter of an hour, it didn’t take long for the school’s rescue team to quickly arrive. Leading the team was the current principal of Bikong Academy. The two prominent figures of Bikong’s history appeared at the same time, yet the situation remained dire.

“Just now, the military personnel came,” the team doctor said in a low voice, trying not to alarm the students. “They mentioned unusual energy fluctuations in this area, suspecting the presence of a rare high-risk creature.”

The principal, of course, knew what that meant. As soon as he arrived, he saw a military aircraft with a familiar emblem on it. “Where are the military personnel now?”

“They’ve already gone in.”

“How many of our people haven’t come out yet?”

“About a dozen students and one instructor.”

“I see.” The principal adjusted his cuffs. “Just to be safe, you stay here. Have everyone else evacuate the students. Ensure everyone is safely returned to the academy.”

“What about you, Principal?”

In between the fingers of the principal’s right hand, three objects that looked like crystals appeared. “Of course I’m going in. My students are inside; I can’t possibly leave them behind.”

The team doctor watched with concern as the principal disappeared into the entrance. A collapsed mine was the most dangerous place, especially with unknown wild creatures inside. These rescuers all went in with the mindset that they might not return. Now, all he could do was sincerely pray that the students trapped inside could be rescued unharmed.

The way through the mine was littered with the bodies of Giant-tailed Lizards, a testament to the military’s effectiveness. For these well-trained soldiers, A-grade creatures were just beasts that could be dealt with in one move. But their real enemy was still nowhere to be seen.

Following the trail of bodies, the principal encountered Fu Yao deep in the mine. He was organizing his subordinates to escort two recently rescued students to the entrance. The instructor had just joined them. The three groups finally met.

“Principal, I’m sorry.” The instructor immediately apologized upon seeing him. “I failed to protect them.”

The principal patted him on the shoulder. Doing so seemed a bit out of place given the instructor’s taller stature, even though the principal was much older. “It was an accident. Our priority now is to rescue the students. We’ll discuss the rest later.”

It was then that Fu Yao interjected, “It’s been a while, senior.”

The instructor knew both were graduates of Bikong, but he hadn’t realized they had once studied together. However, Fu Yao’s tone lacked the warmth typically reserved for old classmates.

“I guessed it was you,” the principal replied in the same tone. “Should I address you as Major General now? Congratulations.”

“I didn’t expect our reunion to be under these circumstances. You haven’t grown taller at all.”

“You’ve grown quite a bit since then, but even with that height, you’re still so short.”

The instructor was stunned. Everyone knew about the principal’s short stature, and Fu Yao’s height was a well-known off-limits topic. Was it appropriate for these old classmates to pick on each other’s sensitive topics upon reunion?

The deputy officer, the only person on the scene who knew both of them, helplessly rubbed his forehead. These two had always been at odds, and years later, they still didn’t get along. The principal noticed the gesture and slapped his arm as a friendly greeting, and the deputy nodded in response.

“What’s the situation now?” The principal asked, seeing that this wasn’t the right time to argue with Fu Yao.

The instructor quickly briefed him. “Most of the students have been rescued successfully. Thankfully, only minor injuries. Two students seem to be trapped since their positions haven’t changed. Major General Fu Yao has sent someone to rescue them.”

After sharing the good news, he continued with the concerning part. “Three students are missing. One named Zhu Yue; his last location was here.” The instructor pointed to a dim dot on the tablet. “The other two are Ling Xiao, the first student to lose contact, and Ying Feng. It’s suspected that the danger started from their location.”

Without asking Fu Yao, the principal turned to his deputy. “And you?”

“We detected an unusual energy source nearby, in the same direction as the missing students. However, the signal is unstable. Many passages here have been blocked due to collapses, but we’re trying to approach that area.”

“Do you have any idea what the energy source might be?”

The deputy hesitated for a moment before saying, “The only thing that can alert satellite monitoring is the energy radiation emitted from a soul stone or a rare creature within an SS-grade or above.”

The principal had already prepared for the worst, but upon hearing this, he frowned. “Is there any way to start from the outside?”

“No, forcibly drilling is highly likely to cause a cave collapse, endangering those still inside.”

“As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, we can’t give up,” Fu Yao interrupted their conversation. “Now the only method is to target the last known signal direction and manually forge a path. We need to move quickly but gently, with the priority being the survival of those inside. We absolutely cannot trigger another collapse.”

“Understood!” The soldiers responded in unison, lowering their voices.

……

Ying Feng, with a dagger in hand, charged at the Kui. However, before he could reach the Kui, a shadow sprang from behind him, punching the Kui and sending it flying several meters.

Ying Feng stopped in disbelief. How could anyone possess such immense strength to repel a creature many times his size? Moreover, the speed of this shadow was astonishing, making it impossible for Ying Feng to discern its features.

Under the mysterious figure’s assault, the Kui was continuously forced back until it was kicked hard against the cave wall, creating a loud rumbling sound.

Ying Feng realized with horror that their reckless fighting might cause a more severe cave-in. Frantically, he looked around for Ling Xiao, whom he had pushed aside earlier, but he was nowhere to be seen.

More rocks began to fall, blocking all exits. In the confined space, the shadow continued its fight with the Kui, whose massive arms flailed in anger but failed to land a hit. The enemy moved so fast that afterimages appeared, giving the illusion of multiple attackers targeting the Kui’s head, chest, and back. The Kui roared in anger, the sound echoing throughout the cavern.

The shadow leaped onto Kui’s back, choking him. In this moment, Ying Feng recognized the figure—it was Ling Xiao!

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with a wild murderous intent. Killing his opponent seemed to be his sole focus; Ying Feng was sure that Ling Xiao wouldn’t hesitate to attack him if he intervened. His fighting prowess was extraordinary, overpowering the highest-level creature with ease—a strength that seemed impossible for someone who was still a fledgling.

The Kui mustered all its strength to throw off Ling Xiao, who landed high up on the cave wall. From there, he once again lunged at the Kui. His punches and kicks were so fast they became a blur, hitting the Kui repeatedly. Ling Xiao planted his foot on the Kui’s chest and ripped off its left arm with a single hand.

The Kui roared in pain, blood splattering all over—the ceiling, walls, floor, and all over Ling Xiao. The scene was gruesome, and even Ying Feng was taken aback. But Ling Xiao, unfazed, proceeded to tear off the Kui’s other arm, then somersaulted away, coldly observing his handiwork.

At that moment, Ying Feng didn’t see Ling Xiao; he saw a merciless, cold-blooded killer.

The Kui, now armless and defeated, charged at Ling Xiao, seemingly ready to take him down even if it meant its own demise. Ling Xiao stood still, not even blinking.

“Ling Xiao!” Ying Feng exclaimed. What was he thinking, facing such an attack without dodging?

Ling Xiao stretched out his arm, aiming straight at the charging Kui. His arm punctured the Kui’s chest without deviation.

The Kui gave its final roar, and Ling Xiao, emotionless, twisted his arm, crushing the Kui’s heart. With a bloody arm, he withdrew from the Kui’s body. The Kui staggered for a moment.

In one lethal move, Ling Xiao jumped back to a safe distance, leaving a fist-sized hole in Kui’s chest, from which blood spewed.

Life slowly faded from the Kui, and after stumbling a few steps, the king of beasts, who once dominated these parts, finally fell face-first into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Silence engulfed the cramped cave.

Ying Feng couldn’t believe what he saw. Taking two steps forward, he suddenly felt something under his foot. Stepping back, he picked it up and recognized it as a portable injector with a small amount of bright orange liquid remaining inside.

Scouring his memory, Ying Feng remembered where he had seen this object before.

“Is this… Embers II? Did you actually steal this from the base?”

Ling Xiao turned his head. A flash of red appeared in his eyes, which quickly returned to their normal gray. The blood on his face made him look terrifying, but his eyes were filled with confusion.

Ying Feng wasn’t sure what to say. Ling Xiao’s bold action had surprised him, but if Ling Xiao hadn’t stolen the serum from the lab, they would probably be dead by now.

As the drug’s effects wore off, Ling Xiao seemed to be drained of all energy. He fell to his knees. Ying Feng muttered under his breath, dropped the injector, and hurriedly helped Ling Xiao up before he could collapse further. Ling Xiao’s head hung limply, seemingly unconscious.

Holding up a barely conscious person, Ying Feng passed the corpse of the Kui and the two severed arms scattered on the ground. He set Ling Xiao against a wall and began searching for a way out of the enclosed space.

However, he soon found out that the exit paths were blocked by fallen rocks. Trying to forcefully break them led to more rocks falling from above. Fearing that the only available space would collapse and bury them alive, he didn’t dare to proceed.

Checking his terminal, he found its screen had been smashed during their escape, rendering it useless. Ling Xiao’s wrist was empty.

After the Kui’s appearance, they now faced another problem: being trapped in a collapsed mine with no contact with the outside world. At this point, all they could do was wait for rescue. Ying Feng believed that the academy was actively searching for them and hoped help would arrive soon.

Exhausted from the tension and escape, Ying Feng sat opposite Ling Xiao, trying to conserve his energy. As he closed his eyes to rest, a faint moan reached his ears. Opening his eyes, he realized something was wrong with Ling Xiao. He had seen similar symptoms in Yao Tai before.

“Ugh…” The moan this time was louder than before. Under Ying Feng’s gaze, Ling Xiao’s eyelids slowly opened. His unfocused eyes made Ying Feng certain that Ling Xiao’s attention wasn’t fixed on him.

“Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao!” Ying Feng waved his hand in front of him.

“Can you see?”

After a moment, Ling Xiao let out a slow “ah”.

“I feel… unwell.”

Relieved that Ling Xiao was still conscious, Ying Feng said, “Of course you do. Dr. Yao said that Embers II is only a prototype and has strong side effects. I can’t believe you stole it.” But seeing Ling Xiao’s feeble state, Ying Feng’s tone softened. “Well, I guess it was a blessing in disguise.”

Ling Xiao once again closed his eyes in pain and leaned against the wall. His uniform had been torn in several places from the recent fight and was stained all over with blood from the Kui, giving him a terrifying look.

The side effects of “Embers II” were so intense. It felt as if a fire had been lit inside his veins, repeatedly evaporating his blood.

Hallucinations began to appear in his vision, showing forbidden movies and stories he shouldn’t dream about. And the protagonist of those stories seemed to be right next to him.

“Ying… Feng…”

It took Ying Feng several tries to recognize that Ling Xiao was saying his name. Yet, he couldn’t clearly hear what was said next.

“What did you say?”

Ling Xiao moved his lips, but the sound he produced was barely audible.

With no other option, Ying Feng moved closer. “What did you say just now?”

“I feel so hot…”

This time, Ying Feng heard him clearly. “Hot?”

He reached out and touched Ling Xiao’s exposed skin, shocked to find it wasn’t just warm but burning. It felt as if he was going to combust from within, likely the reason behind the name “Embers”.

Realizing that the side effects had gone beyond Ling Xiao’s tolerance, Ying Feng felt helpless. Rescue hadn’t yet arrived. Having narrowly escaped death at the Kui’s hands, would Ling Xiao now succumb to the drug’s side effects?

An unconscious touch from Ying Feng elicited a moan from Ling Xiao, a moan different from his previous pain, revealing a hint of something different in its rising tone.

As an inexperienced fledgling, Ying Feng couldn’t understand the meaning behind that sound. Ling Xiao’s abnormal behavior made him anxious. He didn’t want to see him die after escaping from the Kui’s threat.

Yet, Ling Xiao’s breath grew fainter and fainter, almost ceasing completely. Ying Feng could barely detect his breathing.

“Are you okay?” He shook Ling Xiao vigorously by the arms, trying to rouse him.

“Hey, snap out of it!”

Just as Ying Feng was at a loss for what to do, the dying man in front of him suddenly opened his eyes. With a burst of unexpected strength, Ling Xiao pushed Ying Feng to the ground, his arms firmly on either side of him.

In the darkness, Ling Xiao’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

“What are you doing?” Ying Feng, pinned beneath him, was taken aback and frustrated by the sudden turn of events.

What answered him was an unheard growl. The once-dominant Ling Xiao opened his mouth, revealing two sharp fangs.

Ying Feng’s eyes widened in shock. What is this? A vampire?

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Well, he’ll certainly suck something…

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>